reduced to just one hour. Overnight exposure far exceeds these limits. Even if the chicken looks and smells normal the next day, it may still contain harmful bacteria undetectable by the senses. This is one of the most deceptive aspects of food safety: people often rely on their senses, but bacteria like Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens don’t always produce noticeable changes in smell, taste, or appearance.
One reason some people feel safe eating food that’s been out of the refrigerator overnight is that they’ve done so before without
